Portland-based MediaRites, a nonprofit dedicated to telling the stories of diverse cultures, is the recipient of a 2006 Peabody Award for its radio documentary "Crossing East," the first radio series to examine in detail the history of Asian Americans.

This is the second Peabody Award for "Crossing East's" executive producer, Dmae Roberts, a Portland actor, playwright and award-winning radio producer.

Hosted by George Takei of "Star Trek" fame and comedian Margaret Cho, and divided into eight hourlong installments, "Crossing East" draws from more than 500 hours of oral history interviews, research and dramatic re-creations to trace the history of Asian American immigration to the United States from the country's earliest days.

"This has been my baby for several years," said Roberts, who gathered some of the country's best scholars of Asian American history to advise her.

Stories covered in the series include the tale of Ing "Doc" Hay, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine who created a thriving practice in John Day in the 1880s; the rise of immigration laws designed specifically to exclude Asian immigrants from the United States; and the immigration debates that continue in a post-9/11 world. So far, "Crossing East" has been broadcast on 207 radio stations around the country.